I understand the money-and-art-dont-mix vibe that I suspect you're coming from. But I don't think there is a conflict between "passion project" and "profit" at all. Keep in mind that profit---from the perspective of a sole proprietorship---means living wage.
Most people have to eat, feed their kids, pay a mortgage, support a spouse, etc. In an advanced society, we also have reasonable expectation of some social expenses as well.
While internet culture projects the identity of the passionate 20 year old eating ramen and sleeping on a friend's couch, that's actually the minority. Passion projects are great, and being scrappy is great, too. But we (the startup community) of all people should endorse the idea of making money off our labor.
As an artist who uses KS to fund printing collections of her comic, I've got to disagree. If you're going to be able come back to KS and do another project, you have to keep an eye on your expenses.
I mean, yes, it is wonderful that KS provides a way for people to come together and Make Art Happen. But art doesn't come out of nowhere; people have to pay their rent while making it, they like to eat too. In the long run Kickstarter can be an important component in transitioning from doing art part-time to doing it full-time. And that, my friend, is one hell of a passion project.
Yeah, the ideal way to do this kind of project would be to do the Kickstarter to raise the funds to create the print (the $15k in sunk costs). It's hard with art though because people are reluctant to buy something they can't see.
Most people have to eat, feed their kids, pay a mortgage, support a spouse, etc. In an advanced society, we also have reasonable expectation of some social expenses as well.
While internet culture projects the identity of the passionate 20 year old eating ramen and sleeping on a friend's couch, that's actually the minority. Passion projects are great, and being scrappy is great, too. But we (the startup community) of all people should endorse the idea of making money off our labor.